Quick update to preview a bit of a change of pace. Thus far I've been bogged down in project framing here on the blog...but that is all, fundamentally, throat clearing until I can get to the "meat" of what I envisioned with a project blog: a place to toss up bits of work in progress for public review and feedback. Framing is important for sure, and I'm going to keep working through that (I still want to talk about Fernand Braudel's important distinction between "markets" and "capitalism" and how that relates to what I'm doing here, as well as some talk about the modern craft economy). The blog (in)activity speaks for itself, though, and it shows that I'm letting myself get bogged down in the theoretical framing work with too-long drafts and perfectionism taking over. All the while, I've been plowing through lots of empirical material - transcribing interviews, reading online discussions, talking with industry insiders and analysts - and building up a big pile of random notes, drafts and bits of material that I'm hoping will serve as suitable fuel for some extensive drafting once the big "sparks" (ideas and motivation) are introduced.

To that end, I'm going to begin interspersing some far more concrete and pragmatic stuff stuff here on the blog, starting with some first-cut efforts I have made on estimating the size of the handbuilt bike segment in the U.S.